Apparatus for applying adhesive strip to cans or other containers



I July 5, 1949. CHARLES 2,475,076-

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING ADHESIVE STRIPS '1'0 CANS OR OTHER CONTAINERS 7 Filed March 5, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.I. I 4 1 6 July 5, 1949. e. K. CHARLES 2,475,076

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING ADHESIVE STRIPS T0 CANS OR OTHER CONTAINERS Filed March 3, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet. 2

Ana

July 5, 1949. e. K. CHARLES Y 2,475,075

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING ADHESIVE STRIPS 1'0 CANS OR OTHER CONTAINERS Filed March 3, 194a 4 Shets-Sheet s zzoezzfa Geo/ em Wigs July 5, 1949. G. K. CHARLES 2,475,076

APPARATUS FOR APPLYING ADHESIVE STRIPS TO CANS OR OTHER CONTAINERS Filed March 3, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 l 27 U 26 I The gripping plate 40 is fixed on a spindle 44 mounted to rotate and to slide axially in a bearing 45 on the upper end of a lever 46, the spindle 44 being in alignment with the spindle 4|.

The two levers -43 and 46 are connected by a stay bolt 41 and are both fixed at their lower ends on a fulcrum shaft 48 pivotally supported at its ends in the machine frame 5. The levers 43 and 46'constitute a carrier or means for carrying the rotary holder H past the strip guide 9, pressure roller 3, severing device l and pressure roller 15 and back to the initial position.

The lever 43 has a roller 49 which engages with a cam 50 on the cam shaft 32.

The lever 46 carries a forked bell-cranked lever pivoted on a fulcrum pin 52, Figure 2, mounted in a lug 53 on the lever 46. The upper ends of the forked bell-crank lever 5| have short pins 54, 54, entering a grooved collar 55, which is fixed on the spindle 44. The lower ends of the forked bell-crank lever 5| are pivotally connected at 56 to the upper end of a rod 51, which rod slides in a guide hole 58 in the stay bolt 41. The lower end of the rod 51 is pivotally connected at 59, Figures 1 and 2, to the upper end of a link 60 the lower end of which is pivotally connected at 6| to a bell-crank lever 62 which is fulcrumed on a shaft 63 supported by the frame 5. The upper end of the bell-crank lever 62 has a roller 64 for engagement with a cam 65 on the cam shaft 32, the cam 65 being arranged to rock the bell-crank lever to the left, Figure 1.

A spring 66, attached to the bell-crank lever 62 and to a pin 61 on the frame 25, returns the bell-crank lever 62 to the right, in Figure 1, under the control of the cam 65.

When the bell-crank lever 62 is rocked to the left, in Figure 1, it rocks the bell-crank lever 5| which slides the spindle 44, to the left in Figure 2, and consequently shifts the gripping plate 40 in a direction away from the gripping plate 39. The holder H is then open to receive a can I 8 fed from the magazine Is on to the rail 26 which extends centrally below the space between the open gripping plates.

When the cam 85 allows the spring 66 to rock the bell-crank lever 62 to the right, in Figure 1, the bell-crank lever 5| slides the spindle 44, to the right in Figure 2, and consequently shifts the gripping plate 40 towards the gripping plate 39. The holder H is thus closed and grips the can fed into it from the magazine on to the rail 26.

A sprocket 68 is fixed on the spindle 4!. A chain 69 is secured at one end to a pin on the lever 43 and passes over the sprocket 68, thence over a guide pulley H and is attached at its other end to a weight 12.

The cam 50, in its rotation, rocks the levers 43, 46, from the position indicated in full lines in Figure 1, to the position indicated in dotted lines. During the early part of this movement of the levers 43, 46, the chain 69 engages with a roller '13 which is situated in a fixed position, for instance is mounted on the frame of the machine, and on continued movement of the levers 43, 46, to the right, Figure 1, the chain is pulled against the action of the weight 12 and causes the sprocket 68 to rotate. This operation will be more easily understood by reference to the diagram, Figure 3, wherein the holder H is indicated in its initial position in dotted lines, and in full lines at the moment of severing the strip and just prior to final wrapping of the can.

The operation of the machine isas follows:

Assuming that the various parts are in the positions indicated in full lines in Figures 1 and 2, the holder H is open ready to receive a can i8 from the magazine l9, that is, the gripping plates 39 and 40 are spac p On rotation of the cam shaft 32 the cam 3| allows the lever 29 to rock to the right, Figure 1, under the action of the spring 19 so that it slides the block 25 and ejects a can l8 from the magazine l9 along the guide rail 26 into the holder 1-1, that is between the gripping plates 39, 4|], thereof, the cam 3| ultimately rocking the lever 29 to the left in Figure 1 so as to return the sliding block 25 ready to eject another can.

When a can is fed on to the rail 26 between the gripping plates 39 and 40, the cam 65 operates to close the holder, that is it rocks the bell-crank lever 62, which, through the link 6!], rod 51 and bell-crank lever 5|, slides the spindle 44 and consequently shifts the gripping plate 40 towards the gripping plate 39 so that the can is firmly gripped by these plates.

The cam 50 then rocks the levers 43, 46, from the position shown in full lines in Figure 1 to the position indicated by dotted lines, or as indicated in Figure 3 from the position shown in dotted lines to that shown in full lines.

When the chain 69 reaches the roller 13 it begins to rotate the sprocket 68 and consequently rotates the holder H and the can which is gripped by the gripping plates 39 and 40. The portion of adhesive strip 2 depending from the lower end of the guide plate 9 is trapped between the rotating can and the pressure roller i3 and so adheres to the can. As the rotating can continues its advance to the right, Figure 1, the roller 13 is depressed to allow it to pass on, the roller pressing the adhesive strip 2 on the can as it is wrapped around it. As the holder H approaches the position indicated in dotted lines, Figure 1, or in full lines in Figure 3, the tensioned adhesive strip 2 is brought against the serrated cutter l0 and is severed by it. The guide plate 9 which has in the meantime been swung to the right, Figures 1 and 3, then returns to its normal position under the action of its return spring 90.

As the rotating can passes the pressure roller 15 the spring 18 allows the lever 16 to yield, but maintains pressure of the roller 15, so that the adhesive strip is firmly pressed on the can and any overlap of strip is closed down to complete the wrapping of the strip.

When the holder H reaches the end of its travel to the right in Figure 1, the cam 65 allows the bell-crank lever 62, under the influence of the spring 66 and through the link 60-, rod 51 and bell-crank lever 5| to slide the spindle 44 to the left, Figure 2, and thereby moves the gripping plate 49 away from the can in the holder H which is therefore opened so that the can falls out on to a discharge chute 14. The cam 50 then allows the levers 43 and 46 to return to the initial position under the influence of the weight 12 so that the holder H is ready to receive another can from the magazine l9 as the sliding block 25 is moved by the lever 29 operated by the cam 3|.

The cams 3 65 and 50 are suitably shaped and relatively fixed on the cam shaft 32 so as to ensure that the above described operations occur in proper sequence.

While the apparatus described will deal with square or other polygonal or irregularly shaped cans, and especially shallow cans or other containers, it can equally be used for cylindrical cans,

especially for shallow cans of circular cross-section.

The term adhesive strip includes a strip provided with an adhesive before being wound on the spool I, as in the case of the usual adhesive tape for sealing cans around the lids of cans and other containers, and also gummed paper used for labelling, which is moistened with adhesive as it is wound off the spool, or paper strip provided with gum or paste as it is fed into the machine. Moistening, gumming or pasting devices are Well known and need no illustration.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for applying adhesive strip to cans and other containers comprising a yielding pressure roller, means for suspending adhesive strip in front of said pressure roller, a strip severing device behind and in spaced relation to said pressure roller, and a, final pressure roller behind said severing device, a rotary holder for receiving and gripping a can, means for rotating the holder, means for carrying the rotating holder, and thereby the can held by it, successively past the said strip suspending means, said yielding pressure roller, said severing device and said final pressure roller, for the purposes of successively trapping the adhesive strip between the can in the holder and the yielding pressure roller to start the adhesion of the strip to the can, severing the strip wound on the can, completing the pressure of the same on the can, and discharging the wound can, and means for returning the holder to its initial position for the reception of another can.

2. An apparatus for applying adhesive strip to cans as specified in claim 1, wherein the rotary holder for a can comprises two gripping plates, spaced apart to receive a can between them, and means for relatively moving said plates towards and away from each other for the purposes of gripping and releasing the can between them.

3. An apparatus for applying adhesive strip to cans as specified in claim 1, including a rotary holder for a can, comprising two gripping plates spaced apart to receive a can between them, spindles for said gripping plates, means for supporting said spindles in alignment with each other, and for carrying said holder forward successively past the means for suspending adhesive strip, the pressure roller, the severing device and the final pressure roller, and for carrying the holder back to its initial position, means for reciprocating one of said spindles axially relatively to the other to effect relative movement of the gripping plates to grip and to release a can between them, and means for rotating said holder during the forward carrying moment.

4. An apparatus for applying adhesive strip to cans and other containers as specified in claim 1 including a rotary holder for a can comprising two gripping plates spaced apart to receive a can between them, spindles on which said gripping plates are fixed, levers for supporting said spindles in alignment with each other, means for oscillating said levers for the purpose of carrying the holder forward successively past the means for suspending adhesive strip, the pressure roller, the severing device and the final pressure roller and for returning the holder to its initial position, and means for rotating said holder during the forward carrying movement, consisting of a sprocket fixed on one of said spindles, a chain co-operating therewith, said chain having one end attached to one of said levers and its other end attached to a weight, and a roller mounted on the machine frame for engaging with said chain as the holder is carried forward.

5. An apparatus for applying adhesive strip to cans and other containers including a yielding pressure roller, means for suspending adhesive strip in front of said pressure roller, a severing device behind and in spaced relation to said pressure roller, and a final yielding pressure roller behind said severing device, a rotary holder for a can, levers for supporting said can-holder, and means including an operating cam for rocking said levers for the purpose of carrying said holder forward successively past said yielding pressure roller, severing device and final pressure roller, and a spring attached to said levers for returning them to their initial position.

6. An apparatus for applying adhesive strip to cans and other containers as specified in claim 1 provided with a magazine for cans and means for feeding the cans one at a time into the rotary holder.

7. Apparatus for applying adhesive strip to cans and other containers comprising a yielding pressure roller, means for suspending adhesive strip in front of said yielding pressure roller, a severing device behind and in spaced relation to said yielding pressure roller, a final yielding pressure roller behind said severing device, a rotary holder for receiving and gripping a can, said can-holder comprising two relatively movable gripping plates, means for rotating said holder, means for reciprocating said holder relatively to said yielding pressure roller, severing device and final pressure roller, means for feeding cans into said holder comprising a magazine for cans, a guide rail extending from said magazine into a position below said rotary holder when said holder is in its initial position, and means for ejecting cans one at a time from said magazine on to said extended guide rail, and means for relatively moving the gripping plates of said holder to grip a can fed on to said guide rail and to release said can when wound with adhesive strip.

8. Apparatus for applying adhesive strip to cans and other containers comprising a yielding pressure roller, means for suspending adhesive strip in front of said yielding pressure roller, a strip severing device behind and in spaced relation to said yielding pressure roller, a final yielding pressure roller behind said severing device, a rotary can-holder consisting of two relatively axially movable gripping plates, levers on which said gripping plates are revolubly mounted, means for relatively and axially moving said gripping plates for gripping and releasing a can between them, means for rotating said gripping plates, and a cam shaft provided with cams for respectively operating said gripping plate moving means and for rocking said levers to carry the holder past said yielding pressure roller, severing device and final pressure roller.

GEORGE KENNETH CHARLES.

No references cited. 

